With Lake Okeechobee at almost 16 feet, the Army Corp of Engineers on Thursday opened locks to release maximum amounts of water to reduce the risk of breaching the dike.

But the Everglades Foundation and the Florida Oceanographic Society toured the St. Lucie lock and warned that the billions of gallons of polluted water flowing into the St. Lucie River is a disaster that must be stopped.

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According to Eric Eikenberg, chief executive officer of the Everglades Foundation, the chemical-laden fresh water kills newly planted oyster beds and sea grasses that are the habitat of hundreds of animals on the bottom of the food chain. It also drives away fish and raises the level of harmful bacteria in the water.

Eikenberg said while there is no immediate solution, a long-term solution does exist: the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP).

CEPP would create a new outlet south from Lake Okeechobee and allow water to clean naturally as it flows through sawgrass and soil before reaching the Everglades.

"If we continue to drag this out, I'm afraid Congress is going to move and residents of this community and the state as a whole, when it comes to Everglades restoration, is going to be left behind," said Eikenberg.

Eikenberg said the deadline for the South Florida Water Management District to approve CEPP is July 31, and for the Army Corps of Engineers the deadline is Dec. 31.

Both agencies must approve CEPP to have it become part of the current federal Water Resources Development Act. Congress is not expected to consider a new water act until 2020 or beyond.